Congress MP Senthil hospitalised during indefinite fast over SSA funds

CHENNAI: Congress’s Tiruvallur MP Sasikanth Senthil, who launched an indefinite fast demanding the release of funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), was admitted to Tiruvallur Government Medical College Hospital on Saturday after his blood pressure spiked on the second day of the protest.

Senthil, a former IAS officer, began his fast-unto-death on Friday at the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) office on the Tiruvallur Collectorate premises. He has been protesting against the BJP-led Union Government’s decision to withhold Rs 2,152 crore due to Tamil Nadu under the scheme.

In a statement from hospital, the MP said he was under proper medical care and remained steady. Senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi spoke to him over the phone on Saturday and extended his support for the protest.

Senthil said the non-release of funds had put the future of 43 lakh students and 2.2 lakh teachers in grave uncertainty. Calling the Centre’s action a “violation of the Constitution,” he stressed that his protest was not personal. “This is a fight for the rights of every child in Tamil Nadu to access quality education without political pressure or language imposition,” he said on Friday.

“The Congress has historically fought through non-violent means, and I take up this struggle in the same spirit. If we do not resist the BJP government’s attempt to undermine our education system today, our children’s future will be in peril,” he added.